


Seeds

by girlsarewolves



Category: Clash of the Titans (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eventual Smut, F/M, Hades is clueless, Kore/Persephone is ambitious, Power Dynamics, Role Reversal, Role Switching might be more accurate?, The Abduction of Persephone - Clash of the Titans style, or maybe power switching, sort of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-25
Updated: 2013-12-13
Packaged: 2017-11-26 19:58:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/653880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/girlsarewolves/pseuds/girlsarewolves
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Trapped once more in the underworld, biding his time for another chance at revenge, opportunity comes to Hades in the form of another of Zeus' bastard children - the maiden, Kore. </p><p>Sometimes even gods bite off more then they can chew.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One (Hades)

**Author's Note:**

> Set directly after Clash of the Titans - taking bits and pieces from the deleted/alternate scenes of that movie, plus a few elements from Wrath of the Titans. Feedback is greatly appreciated. Updates will probably be sporadic at best, but barring any real life obstacles, I won't be abandoning this.

* * *

It came to him out of the blue, his second chance. He spent his days in a renewed and more suffocating isolation; fulfilling his duty as the bitterness only grew. The seething hatred searched for another way, another means of revenge and taking what should rightfully be his.  
  
Perseus was never much of a concern. Hades did not truly entertain ideas of revenge upon his bastard nephew. It would not be that long before the boy's soul rode Charon's ferry once more - this time as his bones turned to dust. No, Hades did not even spare much thought to Perseus at all, and those thoughts were merely tainted by disdain and contempt. Too simple, too soft; emotions easily eaten up by the rage that never went away.  
  
Zeus was the one he needed to tear down and destroy. It was Zeus who had tricked him and damned him to the brutal underworld. While the victory over their father was because of Hades, it was Zeus who claimed all the glory, the sweetest spoils - and Hades could do nothing more than fade into shadows, taking in the many wicked souls of Zeus' spawn. Zeus raped and manipulated and played with his creation like the pawns they truly were, but it was Hades they feared and reviled.  
  
As ever before, the god of the underworld carried out his duties with only the company of his own hatred for his brother. Always thinking, always trying to find some way, some loophole to slip through; a weakness, a chink in Zeus' armor.  
  
For days, for weeks, for months - perhaps it was years - Hades tried to form a new plan to make his brother suffer.  
  
And then it came to him. During a moment when he wasn't looking for it; a rare moment when his mind was consumed with the only thought that could break through the bitterness.  
  
Kore.  
  
A young goddess - the maiden, she was called. A being of light and love, a glimmer of bright and shining beauty that even he could not deny was perfect. Daughter of Demeter, the goddess was kept shielded from the backstabbing politics and wanton lust that permeated the halls of Olympus. She spent her days in a sea of flowers with nymphs that could not hope to match her exquisiteness.  
  
The delicate creature had come into Hades' vision by pure chance. A rare visit to Olympus to see his brother as her mother swept her away from her father.  
  
One look, and he felt the foreign sensation of hope and want for something other than Zeus' suffering. Hades had questioned Eros later, convinced the little imp had snuck in an arrow without Hades noticing.  
  
But he'd plead innocent, and Hades had known it to be so.  
  
He tried to brush it off. For a little while he did. Then she danced into his thoughts some time after - a fleeting thought, nothing but a passing curiosity. But the seed was planted; days later she was not some idle thought that he could ignore. Maddened by the fact that he could not get her out of his mind, Hades stole a look into the mortal realm, to the island Demeter had whisked the goddess off to.  
  
She was even more beautiful.  
  
Foreign feelings returned. They lingered with him longer this time. And so it continued, until she was a regular occurence; a thought that would come to him whenever she pleased, and refused to be brushed aside and ignored. No matter his current disposition - no matter how strong his rage burned or how oppressive his despair grew. He would look in on her, fascinated and filled with a longing he'd never known before her existence.  
  
The failure of his plans to capitalize on the mortals' rebellion did not remove her from his thoughts. His renewed bitterness was still not strong enough to combat his interest whenever it returned to overtake him. But it was some time before that interest - that overwhelming need - clicked with his other desires.  
  
Hades often forgot the simple fact of who Kore's father was. It was not until he was watching her - picking wild flowers with gossiping nymphs and staring longingly at the sea - when he pondered over Demeter's reasoning for shielding her daughter so greatly. He then thought, why wouldn't she? With a daughter as pure and perfect; so lovely and so naive, she would be too easy for Zeus to ruin.  
  
And then it hit him.  
  
Zeus. Her father. Weeks of pursuing Demeter until she finally gave in had resulted in two sisters hating each other and a child swelling within Demeter's belly. Zeus had further torn apart their family and tortured his siblings more - but out of such wretchedness, somehow Kore and all her perfection was born.  
  
To Zeus.  
  
Hades was too mad with hate and too blinded by loneliness draped in lust to realize that he might be the one to ruin her.  
  



	2. Two (Kore)

* * *

_"Kore is not your true name."_  
  
She was the maiden; always had been. If her mother could have had her way, she would always remain so.  
  
But Kore yearned for more. She knew that marvels and wonders were beyond the edges of her island home, far beyond the horizon, just passed where sky and sea met and became one. She yearned for the view from Olympus, where Zeus and the other Olympians could see all of mankind.  
  
Even more, she yearned to be there, among the mortals, among her father's creations. To see and smell and hear and touch; the stories the nymphs would tell her in hushed tones so as not to attract Demeter's ire were not enough.  
  
Kore had been to Mount Olympus only a few times in her life - which, even for a younger goddess, was not that often. Her mother had told her it was better that way. Better for her to not catch her father's or brothers' or uncle's eyes. Better for her not to be exposed to Aphrodite's indecency, or Hera's jaded contempt.  
  
No, Demeter planned for her daughter to follow after Athena and Artemis - a virgin goddess for eternity. Only even more pure and untouched. And helpless. At least Athena was intelligent and skilled, and had seen the brutality of war without reveling in it like Ares. And Artemis had her skill with the bow and arrow, the love of the hunt, agility and speed and stealth.  
  
Kore loved flowers and harvest, she loved her mother's work. But that was her mother's work. She felt trapped in a pretty cage, merely a copy of others more talented and more well known. She had a goddesshood of being part of Demeter - the untouched part. Unspoiled and unsullied. She was The Maiden, after all.  
  
She wanted to leap off the edge of the isle, into Poseidon's depths, and remain there until she drowned or her uncle took her in.  
  
But Kore refrained. She had never been able to willingly defy her mother except in little acts here and there - listening the the nymphs' stories of the outside world, casting glances at each Olympian she could whenever her mother brought her along, sneaking to the edge of Olympus to glimpse the mortals and their world. And she had a promise from the Fates themselves, a promise that she clung to for sanity's sake.  
  
 _"Kore is not your true name,"_ they had told her. _"It is not the name the mortals will remember you by; it is not the purpose you are meant to fulfill."_  
  
 _One day,_ Kore told herself every dawn and every dusk, _I will be free. Somehow, I will be free._  
  
One day, she would be called Persephone.


	3. Three (Hades)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for abduction.

* * *

The moment was over so quickly that the time it took to prepare seemed frivolous and wasted. But Hades reminded himself it was necessary; Zeus still felt the sting of humiliation and betrayal - a mere slight when the same was done to Hades; an offensive crime when the tables were turned.  
  
Should Hades' presence be detected, should he leave any trace, any frightened nymphs to bare witness, his younger brother would grab at the chance to punish Hades more. As though he could; as though there was anything worse than being trapped in the underworld, sustaining himself on reverence born of fear.  
  
He could take Kore away.  
  
He would have to come into the underworld, though, Hades told himself. He sneered at the very thought of Zeus setting foot in Hades' domain. No, he would never.  
  
Perhaps all the planning and preparations had been unnecessary. Waiting, waiting for just the right moment; Hades had always been patient. He had bided his time for the moment when he could strike against Zeus before.  
  
But this was not only about Zeus; this was about Kore.  
  
When the day finally came - that hazy, hot day with the cool breeze and Kore's lazy, unaccompanied stroll through the meadows - he rushed to the surface like a mortal rushing through life's most vital moments. Though his defeat at Perseus' hands had weakened him, the mortals' fear of him had grown. Cracking through the earth was not much of a strain at all - and so he came bursting from the ground, shadows and smoke slithering towards the maiden goddess.  
  
Her eyes had grown wide when fingers formed amidst the moving darkness, wrapping around her arms, but she had not screamed. Her mouth had opened, lips forming a silent 'oh' of surprise, but no sound came. And then she was in his arms, wrapped in the smoke and shadows, falling with him between the cracks in the earth.  
  
Over, so quickly. In an instant he had her, and then they were in the dark mists of the edges of his world.  
  
Sun-spun hair and golden skin, she could not have looked any more foreign in his world than she did. Her blue eyes were still wide - only now to see in this dark place without the afternoon sun and blue skies she was used to.  
  
Demeter would come searching soon; Zeus would hear of it quickly. All of Olympus would be tasked with searching for Kore. The longer it took, the more frantic Demeter would become, and Zeus all the angrier. The plan was perfect.  
  
And Hades had already forgotten that revenge had ever played a part in his abduction of the goddess before him.  
  
Not even the sudden sting on the side of his face jogged his memory.  
  
Kore at last found her voice. "How dare you?!" she shouted as she held the hand that had slapped him. "What makes you think you have a right to touch me, let alone drag me from my home?!"  
  
Hades tried to remember reason through the madness that had overtaken him, convincing him to sneak to the surface world and grab Demeter's only child. There had been thoughts of revenge and a longing he had no experience with and his pride eager for something to soothe its wounds. He had wanted her, plain and simple - and the unsettling realization crept in that he was too much like his brothers.  
  
Kore did not wait for him to find even the flimsiest of reasons; she turned and began to walk towards the shores of the Styx. "Take me home!"  
  
After centuries in this domain, adapting to it and the elemental powers it granted, it was not a conscious effort to dissipate into smoke and reform in the goddess' way. Hades was not even sure what he was doing; he felt embarrassingly unprepared and inexperienced. He was the ruler of Tartarus, of the mortals' dead souls and the creatures that resided in the underworld, not some lovesick human pricked by one of Eros' arrows.  
  
"Thinking of swimming home, Kore? I would not try it. There is nothing but hate in the river Styx, a heavy burden. And if you were to ingest any of its waters, you might lose your voice." Hades drew himself upright, a position he was more easily able to hold these days.  
  
The maiden stared up at him unflinchingly and narrowed her eyes. "Then take me home."  
  
"You know I will not."  
  
"I know nothing of you, except that you have stolen me from my home and are now keeping me prisoner in your domain."  
  
"If I stole you, what makes you think I would give you back?" Hades took a step closer, then another; Kore stepped back once. He moved to the side and circled around her. He wanted to touch her hair; her bare shoulder.  
  
The young goddess moved her hand to her shoulder, as if she somehow sensed Hades' desire. "Because I am not an object. I am a goddess. I am the daughter of Demeter!"  
  
"And _Zeus_."  
  
The hate was unintentional; unavoidable. But he hissed his brother's name with such contempt that Kore's eyes showed a flicker of fear; she flinched at his voice when a moment ago she had easily met his gaze.  
  
Hades lowered his head and pushed aside thoughts of his brother, memories of using this goddess as a means of revenge. That wasn't what he wanted from her, was it? He had ached before his kraken fell, and he was banished back to this misery. He had glimpsed her before all his plans had crumbled to ruin and pushed her aside because fruition was so close.  
  
Bright, lovely Kore; a ray of life, and he had wanted her for her. He still wanted her for her.  
  
If only he had won; a king on Olympus, even by trickery, was more appealing than the broken and beaten ruler of death and what comes after.  
  
"You cannot leave. But you can wander where ever you please in my kingdom. Though I would not wander too far; the underworld is not so pleasant or harmless as a meadow."  
  
"My meadow was plenty harmful today when it gave way to you," she whispered. She did not look at him again; the squaring of her shoulders gave way that it was defiance now and not fear that kept her eyes off him.  
  
He could not argue her reasoning; as for himself, he had lost all reason it seemed.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to know the truth? I honestly did not think I was going to be able to pick up this story. But a few days ago some inspiration came to me, and now I actually have an idea of where I'm going with this fic! I don't know how often or regular updates will be, but the good news to myself and any who are interested is that I'm still going to continue it. Feedback is appreciated! Many thanks to Sandra for being my beta and putting up with all my spamming while working on this long overdue chapter. :)
> 
> I also want to add that since this is Clash 2010 verse, obviously the mythology is going to be...played around with. I'm trying to find a balance between actual Greek mythology and the movie's mythos. My apologies for any confusion.


	4. Four (Kore)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning for references to rape.

* * *

The underworld was not quite what she had expected. Darkness and barren wastelands, of course. But not the foggy vastness blanketing the rivers that surrounded the underworld, the heat steaming from fissures deeper into the land; the enveloping grayness, how it drained the color - the life and vibrancy - from any and every thing that came into this foreign place.  
  
Even herself; when she looked at the once pink cloth of her chiton it had faded to ashen. Her skin seemed paler, her hair dull.  
  
She had not even been in this wasteland for a week - or she assumed so, at least. Time did not seem to exist in Hades' domain. But it felt little more than a few days since the god of the underworld had taken her from her island and brought her to a place where everything was dead or dying - or something worse.  
  
That was not to say she wanted to go home. Quite the contrary; though she had refused to speak to Hades since he had guided her from the Styx to his cavernous home, Persephone found his kingdom fascinating.  
  
She had been desperate to get away from her mother and her island prison. Maybe this cave-like, obsidian palace and its cruel surroundings were merely a new prison for her. But the simple fact that it was new kept her content and curious. She had explored a little here and there - always mindful to avoid the sounds of other...beings. And Hades, of course.  
  
The place smelled of sulfur and brimstone. Near the rivers Styx and Acheron the air was heavy and salty and bitter. The deeper into the realm, the hotter it became. Tartarus itself was a labyrinth full of screaming and wailing as it shifted and rearranged over the hottest point in the underworld.  
  
Kore was surprised that Hades had not tried to command her to avoid the labyrinth; but her lack of any desire to go near Tartarus had given her an inkling that he might have known doing so was unnecessary.  
  
Who would go there of their own free will?  
  
Kore, if she had been told not to.  
  
Hades was not her mother or her father, and this? This was not her island. Hades was her kidnapper and newly self-appointed jailer. This was her new prison - though fascinating and more exciting than her island of meadows and flowers and gently babbling brooks. Her mother she could not defy. But Hades? Here, no, if she could find a way to escape or a command to disobey, she would seize the opportunity.  
  
Perhaps the god of the underworld had even suspected Kore's inner desires to break free and defy her mother's will. Perhaps he had seen, in those moments when she had spoken with him, what she had kept locked down and hidden away from Demeter.  
  
Perhaps that was also why he had given her distance since the day of her abduction. Hades had not approached her once; in fact, Kore had not seen him at all after being shown to the cavernous chambers for her to sleep in.  
  
Better that way, she told herself. Better that he keep his distance and not touch her again as though he had the right; better he refrain from coming near and trying to impose his will like her mother had done all her life.  
  
But Kore wondered why she had not felt his presence, even if distant and brief; he obviously wanted her, so why not follow her without being seen? This was his domain; surely he knew of secret ways to watch those unfamiliar with his home without being caught? Kore half suspected he was trying to bait her; avoid her so that her curiosity - or loneliness - got the better of her, and she sought him out.  
  
She could not deny that she was tempted. But it was hardly loneliness or curiosity that had her contemplating it.  
  
 _"What will the mortals know me by?"_ she had asked the Fates, so long ago.  
  
 _"Persephone."_  
  
Kore had thought on that name - on all that the Fates had told her - much since her abduction.  
  
Was this how she found her freedom and her true name? Was her fate tied to this bleak world? Tied to Hades? And if so...was it worth it? How could Hades give her freedom when he had stolen her away and was keeping her trapped here? When he wanted her for himself?  
  
Kore wished she knew where the Fates were right then and a way to get to them, because she was ready to force clear answers from them somehow.  
  
And Hades. His absence was aggravating; he was nowhere near, but was he watching her, even now? He had watched her before when worlds divided them. What if he was watching her that very moment, far enough away that she could not feel his presence, was unaware of his eyes roaming over her?  
  
He wanted her, but had not bothered to talk to her or explain why he had brought her here in the first place. Did he intend to rape her?  
  
The nymphs said that men and gods were greedy and selfish where women were concerned. That gods especially would take any that pleased them, and were not above trying to force the goddesses to their desires.  
  
Well, if that was Hades' intent, why was he taking so long? Kore shuddered at the thought; maybe he wanted her at her most vulnerable. Or maybe he thought if she stayed trapped there long enough, she would offer herself to him? Barter her virginity and dignity for her freedom.  
  
He would wait for a very, very long time.  
  
Persephone, they had promised. Freedom and power, her own place among the other gods and goddesses. The Fates had promised her these things! It had been years, maybe even decades since they had promised that her life would not always be confined to her island and brief visits to Olympus. Surely they had meant more than a forced stay in the underworld.  
  
Freedom. Freedom, and power. In some ways it all felt so close, and in others...so very far away. She was no longer in her mother's shadow, but hidden among the shadows of Hades and his underworld.  
  
 _How will I find my own place when I can't even find my way out of here? How can I achieve any power if I'm here for Hades' personal pleasure?_  
  
The ground beneath her soot-blackened feet was growing warmer. Kore dragged herself from her thoughts to see just where in this dark realm she was going and saw the shifting maze of Tartarus looming above; closer than she had ever been before.  
  
Maybe Hades wanted her to seek him out while he watched her from afar, but Kore was learning new boundaries - ones she could push farther than any her mother had set.  
  
Tendrils of steam slithered upwards from glowing cracks and crevices in the ground ahead, and the wailing of doomed mortals' souls echoed faintly from the labyrinth. It was said that only Hades, Hephaestus, and those Hades chose to serve him in Tartarus knew the way; that even Zeus himself would become lost and could go mad within those walls.  
  
Kore kept walking forward.  
  
"I would not go farther if I were you."  
  
Kore felt her lips curve, unbidden, at the sound of his voice. Her toes curled as heat radiated from the ground and sent a rush of warmth through her. Sweeter was the satisfaction. "I wondered if I would ever see you again, or if you would remain my hidden jailor."  
  
Hades came to stand an arms' length away to her left. "You indicated that you preferred not to see me."  
  
"I also preferred not to be abducted against my will," Kore replied with a shrug. She turned so that the labyrinth was behind her, her feet taking tiny steps backwards. Her skin felt damp and flushed, and she remembered again what it was like to lay under Helios' early afternoon rays.  
  
He did not look so frightening today. He seemed less...gray. Maybe it was the sharp contrast between the surface world and the colorful Olympians that had made him look so drab and faded, like clothing too well worn. In his left hand was a staff, reminiscent of Poseidon's triton. It gave him a more kingly appearance; it struck her how much he resembled Zeus.  
  
Kore supposed that was appropriate.  
  
"You've been enjoying your stay though, haven't you?" The corners of his lips moved slightly; smugly, Kore thought.  
  
She took another step back. "I've kept myself occupied. I would hardly call that enjoyment." The wails and screams of the tortured dead were growing louder behind her.  
  
The fingers of Hades' right hand twitched at his side; did he want to grab her? Stop her from going any closer? Or did he simply want to touch her again?  
  
Kore took another few steps. Smoldering heat hit her back; her gown clung to her as steam enveloped her, the edge of a crevice just under the backs of her feet.  
  
Hades' reaction would have put Hermes to shame. Fast as lightning, his arm reached out, fingers wrapping around her arm at the elbow. He dragged her forward; away from the fissure and closer towards him. His eyes were a little wider, the corners of his mouth not so smug.  
  
There were emotions playing across his face that Kore was not familiar with save one; concern. That answered that question. While she was certain he had been wanting to touch her again, it was more than that simple desire that motivated his fingers tight around her elbow, pulling her from the crevice and the flames waiting at the bottom.  
  
"I recall warning you to be careful down here," he whispered.  
  
Kore licked her lips. She had not been so close to him except when he had dragged her down beneath the surface world. She not been so close to any man or god save then and now; she appreciated it a little more this time.  
  
"I knew exactly where I was going," she whispered back. Would he try something now? Take advantage of the moment? She knew the other gods would; she knew, from the gossip she had learned from the nymphs, that almost any other god would have had her already. If that was his plan, wasn't now a perfect opportunity?  
  
Hades' grip loosened; the rough pads of his fingertips brushed down the length of her arm and then fell away to his side. "Tartarus and the grounds surrounding the labyrinth should be avoided." His head twisted to the side, eyes avoiding her steady gaze. "I won't always be near enough should you need a hand again."  
  
"I'll remember that." Kore looked down at her arm, her own hand ghosting over the trail his fingers had left on her damp skin. She did not have to lift her head to know Hades was gone.  
  
Persephone. Freedom. _Power._  
  
Kore smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The description of the underworld and especially Tartarus are based heavily on how they appear in Wrath of the Titans (even if I'm otherwise pretty much ignoring that movie's continuity). Tartarus was a constantly moving labyrinth that Hephaestus designed and built. I thought it was an interesting premise, and decided to use that in this fic. But that's really all this fic will acknowledge from Wrath.


	5. Five (Mt. Olympus)

* * *

"You must control your temper!"  
  
"Humans are dying! We are weak enough as it is, you are pushing them further away!"  
  
"Zeus, please, speak reason to her!  
  
 _"This is your fault, Zeus!"_  
  
All of Mount Olympus fell silent. The gods and goddesses stilled and apprehension stiffened their bodies. Even Hera and Poseidon held their tongues as Zeus fixed a hard gaze on Demeter; the harvest goddess' spine straightened, and her eyes narrowed.  
  
"I understand your concern, Sister. But remember whom it is you are speaking to," the king of the gods stated in a level - though strained - tone. "Insolence will not be tolerated."  
  
Demeter let out a bitter laugh. "You don't frighten me, _Brother_ ," the goddess spat back. Defiance and anger burning bright in her eyes, Demeter approached the throne at the center of the pantheon. "You and all the others, you are the reasons why the mortals feel contempt and bitterness towards us, why the prayers come slower and fewer. Playing favorites and taking whomever pleases you - whether they want you or not." Her eyes flicked to Poseidon and lingered, then to Apollo and Ares and Aphrodite and Athena and Artemis and last to Hera.  
  
"You have always treated the mortals as playthings - but we gave them a power over us. And now look at us; weak and desperate." Demeter looked back to Zeus, her brother and once her lover; to the one who had saved her and the others from their father's belly. "So desperate you listened to the last person who would ever want to help you."  
  
The silence faded into quiet murmuring at Demeter's insults and the mention of Hades. Apollo and Athena glowered angrily; they did not want to be lumped in with the blame for the underworld's ruler creeping in and trying to take control. No, they had seen the jealousy in his eyes, smelled the deceit coming off him in waves.  
  
But Zeus had been blind; still was.  
  
 _"Enough!"_ Tremors shook the very foundations of Olympus as Zeus stood, the end of his staff slamming onto the ground. "Hera, Poseidon, remain. The rest of you, leave us!"  
  
There were arguments on Apollo's tongue, but Athena's eyes caught his and silenced any arguments he might have offered. One by one the young gods and goddess disappeared from the throne room until only two brothers and two sisters were left.  
  
"You go too far, Demeter. With your punishment over the mortals - and with your insults."  
  
Hera slumped back against her throne; she looked weary from years of jealousy and spite and betrayal. "Our sister speaks the truth," the queen of the gods whispered. Her eyes locked on Poseidon. "Hear her," she pleaded to Zeus.  
  
Poseidon huffed and twisted his head away.  
  
"Does our sister speak the truth I need to hear, or a narrow, specific version of truth that you want me to suffer through?" Zeus questioned derisively.  
  
"My daughter is missing! A goddess, one of us! One of yours, Zeus! And you want to play your games as if nothing is wrong? This would never have happened if we were at our full strength!" Demeter's shoulders sagged as though weighed down. Her defiance left her and was replaced with fear. "My child is gone, and I have no idea where!"  
  
Hera rose and went to her sister, gently stroking Demeter's hair. "Hush, sister, hush. We will find her. You must not give up; remember, Kore is in many ways stronger and healthier than the rest of us. She has yet to become wholly dependent on their prayers."  
  
"But making the mortals suffer will not help your cause!" Poseidon snapped, stalking towards Demeter.  
  
Hera pulled her sister closer. One hand raised, power emanating from it and forcing the sea god back. "Leave her be."  
  
"Hera!"  
  
Zeus came forward; placing himself between Hera and Poseidon. "Do not waste your powers on one of us."  
  
"Of course you take his side."  
  
 _"I am not taking a side!"_ The youngest of them paced, his armor clanking loudly; once his armor had been bright and gleaming with light, silent like an eagle soaring. Now it was fading, dull. There was gray threading his hair and beard; lines creased his once ageless face. The youngest of them, but as of late he appeared almost older than his siblings. "Demeter, you must put a stop to this. For all our sakes. This cold only makes them hate us more."  
  
"My daughter is gone, and I suffer. I will not suffer alone." Demeter pulled away from her sister's embrace and glared at her brothers and sister. "The winter will end when she is back in my arms, safe and sound," Demeter whispered before disappearing back to the mortals' world to search for her child.  
  
Hera wrapped her empty arms around herself, and Poseidon sighed heavily; Zeus turned back to his throne, a weary, angry edge to his voice when he spoke.  
  
"We must find Kore."  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel I should clarify on some choices I've made in regards to characterization (because otherwise this chapter is kind of OOC/against canon). In earlier cuts of Clash, Zeus was much more antagonistic and remained a background villain throughout the movie. Apollo and Athena conspired to help Perseus, out of self preservation; it was Apollo who visited Perseus, not Zeus. At the end, Perseus goes to Mount Olympus and he and Zeus have a shout off. (In a few of the deleted scenes more of the gods/goddesses get to talk and show slivers of personality.)
> 
> While I have problems with Clash that these alternate scenes don't fix, overall I think the movie would have worked better had they stuck with the original version. Zeus being bipolar didn't work for me at all, so since I decided to say screw canon in regards Wrath, I decided to also say slightly screw canon in regards to Clash. Hence why Zeus is portrayed as more of a stubborn asshole (and it will only get worse).
> 
> I definitely recommend anyone interested to check out those deleted scenes, I'm pretty sure all of them are on youtube. They offered an interesting, different take on the concept the movie was going with (the war against the gods, the gods' reaction), and also Luke Evans is really pretty.


	6. Six (Hades)

* * *

Hades found himself at a loss. He could not lie to himself any longer - he had no clue what he was doing with the maiden goddess that he had trapped in his underworld. He had been a fool; a brash and reckless fool. Looking back, he found his motives were less a calculated strike against Zeus and more of an excuse to capture and keep her.  
  
There was no after, no what to do with her next. It wasn't that he could not think of what to do with her now - quite the contrary, there was plenty that could be done with her, to her - but he felt...hesitant. He did not bother to think of what would hurt Zeus most; instead he tried to decipher what Kore would be the most amiable to.  
  
So far all he knew was that she no longer minded his company.  
  
He had cautiously approached her a few times since the incident near Tartarus, and she had yet to request - or demand - him to leave her alone again. He had remained farther from her though, physically; he still remembered the feel of her skin under his fingers.  
  
Standing too close might be too great a temptation.  
  
Kore had been surprisingly talkative. She questioned him about the underworld, the Elysian Fields and the Tartarus labyrinth. What was not quite so surprising was that she had been told very little about him; the extent of her knowledge was that he was a child of Kronos and ruler of the underworld. And not very well liked on Olympus.  
  
He had always known that the Olympians had never looked on him with much fondness after death and darkness had left their mark on him, but Demeter was his sister. Had there not been any kindness for him in her heart before his mad grab at power months ago? He did find it curious that Demeter had left out all he had done recently; but then he suspected that Kore knew nothing of the mortals' dying faith and the Olympians' dying power.  
  
"Do you miss your mother?" he asked Kore now as they conversed on the shore of the river Styx, leaving himself to wonder if he had no sense in him when near the goddess.  
  
 _Fool. What a great fool am I._  
  
But the goddess caught him off guard with her reply; "Not yet." She stood close enough to the river that the meager, lazy waves lapped at her toes; she seemed to constantly see how close she could approach everything, how far she could go before it was too far. "Before you came, I could not go a day without Mother in my life. I think I still have a little while longer to go before I miss her."  
  
Hades took a step towards Kore, studying her expression. He expected to find a trace of deceit, of bravado to make herself seem older or not so bothered. He saw only fascination and honesty. He wanted to touch her again; pull her away from the hateful, bitter waters and see if her answer changed.  
  
She turned towards him before he could give into the urge. Her eyes roamed over him, and he almost shrunk away.  
  
He hated the way the Olympians looked upon him; contempt and disdain for all he reigned over and represented. Maybe it was fear; fear of the now inevitable truth that they were not so immortal.  
  
Kore, though, seemed more curious that repulsed. "You are growing stronger, aren't you?"  
  
Observant, little goddess.  
  
"Yes," he admitted with some reluctance. He did not want to have this conversation; not yet. While weakened by the kraken's defeat and Perseus' attack, the mortals still feared death. The damage done by the kraken was not easily forgotten; it still fed him.  
  
That alone, though, was not what made him feel stronger than he had in centuries. The cruel winter his sister was putting the mortals through while he kept Kore down here to himself, however - that was certainly helping. As countless mortals froze and starved to death, he felt capable of taking on all of Olympus.  
  
If he still had any desire to do so.  
  
Hades was not quite sure what he wanted anymore. Besides Kore.  
  
"I thought so." She drew nearer, one soft, slender hand reaching forward and touching the renewed armor over his chest. "You look a little more and more like an Olympian each time I see you." Her fingers moved to robe.  
  
"I'm afraid I will never wholly look like one of them. This is as polished I as can be," he whispered. He tried to remain perfectly still; afraid that if he moved, she would realize what she was doing and pull her hand away. His fingers trembled at his sides with the desire to take the hand touching him. He could scarcely believe that she had come so close; that her fingers moving, of their own free will, to lightly smooth over his hair.  
  
"The brightness wouldn't suit you." She smiled up at him, her hand moving from hair to chest again; the palm laid flat against the breastplate.  
  
He wanted to touch her; wanted to kiss her. Press his face to her hair and just breathe in. He wanted to stay frozen there to see how long before she grew sick of him and wanted to be alone, before she remembered that she hated him for what he'd done.  
  
What if she found out his earlier crimes? Would she hate him more?  
  
Hades felt himself grow _angry_ at the thought. What right would she have to be angry at him for trying to make his life better? For wanting revenge against his own brother - Zeus might have saved them from their father's belly, but it was Hades' creation that weakened Kronos enough that they overcame him and locked him away deep within Tartarus. And then Zeus cheated him!  
  
Zeus, her father.  
  
Kore withdrew her hand, brow furrowed. "You're angry."  
  
Very observant, little goddess. Or was he more open than he realized?  
  
After all, her brother Apollo had suspected him of treachery; his brothers were too wrapped up in themselves to see what he realized must have been blindingly obvious.  
  
"I am needed elsewhere," he said, skirting around the question. "Tread carefully near the Styx."  
  
Kore's face softened again, and her expression became almost playful. "What, afraid I might take a dip and become invulnerable, maybe use that to my advantage and make my great escape?"  
  
The thought had occurred to him.  
  
"Nothing but a myth, my dear," he lied. "The part about ingesting its foul waters leaving you without a voice for nine years, however, is truth." _That_ he was not lying about. He turned away from her, unnerved at how quickly her playful manner seemed to cool his temper. Unnerved at everything in these past few moments.  
  
He left her there, at the edge of the Styx, so he could greet the latest souls courtesy mostly of her mother. He had never so eagerly thrown himself into his duties in all the days since Zeus cursed him with them.  
  



	7. Seven (Kore)

* * *

There were more and more dead coming to the underworld. In the time she had been down there, Kore had taken note of the patterns of traffic Charon ferried to the afterlife. There were most definitely far more souls entering the underworld as of late.  
  
Part of her ached at the thought; the part of her tied to her mother and to spring and harvest and plentiful bounties that the mortals would pray in gratitude over.  
  
What bothered her more was that that part was not nearly as vocal or as pressing as she had expected. Kore was not sure if the underworld and Hades' influence were to blame - or if it was being free of her mother's influence that had her more curious than concerned.  
  
She knew the influx of souls tied into Hades growing stronger; but what was causing the increase in deaths? Did Hades know? Kore was well aware that it was not Hades but Thanatos that was the god of death - but as ruler of the underworld and the mortals' afterlife, caretaker of the dead, surely Hades would know why there were more souls coming in with each ferry.  
  
And then of course there was the thunder.  
  
All throughout her stay, she had heard thunder roaring in the distance. Until recently it had been faint and rare, and she had easily ignored it to focus on exploring. At first she'd assumed it might be Kronos, trapped within the pits of the underworld. But lately she was realizing that the booming moved location. And despite her growing curiosity and courage to explore, she was still frightened enough of the bellowing noise to avoid it.  
  
That did not mean she couldn't ask Hades about it, though. Now that they were on talking terms again.  
  
The moody god had avoided her - _Hades_ avoided _her_! - for some time after their conversation on the shores of the Styx. Kore suspected it might be related to her questions about his more rejuvenated appearance.  
  
It was both a letdown and amusing to find that the great and fearsome Hades, whose very name darkened her mother's demeanor and whose presence was shunned from Olympus, was just as sensitive as the rest of the gods and goddesses.  
  
 _I suppose that isn't entirely fair; from what Mother said of Zeus and Poseidon, and even Hera, he might not be quite as bad. Mount Olympus tends to make them thin-skinned, she always told me._  
  
Easy enough to believe from the few times Kore had been there.  
  
Her soot-stained feet fell silently on the obsidian floor of the palace hall. Kore had been the one to approach Hades the past two times, and this time would be no different. She was positive that was because of the influx of dying mortals, and not another mood swing on Hades' part. She hoped her prying questions today wouldn't send him into another brooding spell - he brought her here, he should be able to deal with her inquiries!  
  
The god of the underworld set upon a harsh, rough looking throne that appeared carved into the slate wall itself. Dozens of trembling mortals stood before him. They were so small, heads barely reaching his knees. Renewed as he was in appearance, it must not have made him seem any less intimidating. Perhaps only more so; he looked strong...regal.  
  
Kore found it a rather appealing sight.  
  
Hades sorted through the souls, and Kore watched in a mixture of pity and fascination as the harpies came to take those doomed for Tartarus. Many more souls were sent to the Asphodel Meadows; none were given entrance to Elysium.  
  
"A repetitive duty, is it not?" Hades asked once the throne room was empty of all but the two of them.  
  
"Repetitive, but necessary, my lord," she replied, approaching him. "Is repetition your only cause for hating your position?"  
  
There was a hard, studying look in his eyes and a tightness to his jaw. An expression she could not decipher crossed his face. Was he angry? For a moment Kore thought that was the case, that Hades might lose his temper - though he had to do so. Was he overdue? Even in those moments when emotions rose to the surface, he had put on a show of calmness, level-headedness. Perhaps this slight was enough to get a rise out of him.  
  
But then his face smoothed and softened, and he leaned back in his stiff, slate throne. He regarded her with curiosity; "You told me, quite recently, that the brightness of the Olympians would not suit me. Do you think me well-suited to the underworld?"  
  
"You seem better suited here than any of the Olympians, at least those I have seen."  
  
He chuckled at that; it was a bitter sound. "Yes, perhaps. But I was once just like my brothers; it is this place and its duties that have dimmed me, refashioned me to suit its needs. I was weakened after Kronos' defeat; the final strike that brought our father down was from my own creation, you see." His fingers curled into his palms, hands becoming tight fists though they remained on the arms of the throne. "And so Zeus took the seat on Olympus - as was his right, after saving the rest of us from our father's gullet. But when it came to the realm of the oceans and the realm of the underworld, your father banished me here."  
  
Kore fidgeted slightly; hands behind her back, she tugged and twisted at the skirt of her chiton. So this was the whole story. Her mother had always told her that each god was given what he was meant for.  
  
"Why? Why would Zeus send you here if he knew you did not want it?"  
  
Hades' mouth curved into a hateful sneer, but his eyes stared through her, as if looking at something in the distance. "Because I am the oldest, and Zeus wanted to ensure I could never try to take his crown. No, as king of us, he created the mortals and ensured that they would give him and the other Olympians strength. Their love, their prayers and sacrifices and worship feeds them."  
  
 _But not you,_ she realized. Which, in her mind, confirmed her theory that the increase in deaths was what was strengthening Hades now. Kore took in everything he said, mulling it over; uncomfortable as it was being the daughter of the one who had forced Hades here, she was certain having more knowledge of her keeper would give her more of an edge.  
  
"You were wronged, that is clear," she said and stepped closer to him; she had to carefully choose her next words. Kore was hardly afraid of Hades, but the last thing she wanted was for him to get in a mood and avoid her again.  
  
"However, though I barely know my father or Poseidon, I still highly doubt either of them could handle the repetition and bleakness of the underworld and its duties as well as you have." She let her lips form a gentle smile, settling down on a chunk of slate jutting out from the wall, level enough to be a crude seat for a short while.  
  
The dark god laughed at that - not altogether mirthful, not wholly bitter, and Kore found that she enjoyed it. "You make it sound less of a punishment than it is, maiden." He held her gaze; it pleased Kore that there was a faint hint of humor in his eyes. "I think I have to concede your point though. I cannot imagine either of my brothers settling in someplace so...idle, despite the constant business."  
  
Kore's smile grew brighter at Hades' good humor. She felt quite pleased with herself; she had never gotten such a strong reaction from him before. Until now she had only glimpsed his emotions, saw them leak out briefly before he reigned them in and hid them with a mask of calm and detachment.  
  
He surprised her still, though, as the hand closer to her reached out, tucking loose strands of her hair behind her ear. He was smiling back at her; there was something wistful about his expression. He seemed much like he had the day he'd grabbed her and brought her down here, after she had questioned and accused him - regretful, and unable, maybe too stubborn, to say so.  
  
"I have not always handled my duties with grace or proper responsibility."  
  
Kore shrugged. "Not even gods are perfect."  
  
"No," he replied. "We are much farther from it than we like to admit." His fingers, lingering against her cheek, fell away, and he let out a heavy sigh. He looked now much as he had when she had first arrived; shoulders more hunched as if weighed down. Armor darker, duller; eyes weary. "But Zeus, like our father, made our fraternal feud a self-fulfilling prophecy. So bitter over his betrayal that I took every scrap of fear and horrified awe the mortals gave me. I bided my time."  
  
"Opportunity came at last only months ago, perhaps a year or two by mortals' time. You do not know this, your mother has shielded you and in a way preserved your strength for it. But she and the other Olympians are weakening. Soon, they will start fading, their power dimming more and more until they are mortal. Or dead. The mortals grow restless with how fickle and self-serving the Olympians are."  
  
She...she had never known; how could Mother have not told her? Why had she not felt weaker, fainter? But then she was not her own goddess, was she? Prayers sustained her mother, but Kore was not widely prayed to. She had never been as strong as an Olympian. Likely, she was not as effected as them, either.  
  
But her mother - she hadn't even noticed! Had Mother hid it so well? Or had Kore been so blind with her own desires, her need to find the destiny promised by the Fates, that she had remained oblivious to what was right before her eyes?  
  
Kore was angry at her mother, at herself, at the ungrateful mortals and even more at the foolish and selfish Olympians. She had heard of their constant schemes, using mortals and pitting them against each other; the nymphs gossiped and sometimes Mother let things slip. How could they let this happen? Kore focused once again on Hades, and realized there was still more.  
  
"You took advantage."  
  
He did not seem ashamed or regretful; he looked proud and angry and defeated all at once. But not sorry. "Yes. The mortals had not stopped fearing me, and haven't yet. They will always fear death and what follows. Finding a place in the afterlife haunts will always haunt enough souls that I will not fade for some time. So I struck. I was not making a grab at Zeus' throne so much as wanting to tear him down." His gaze shifted away from her; "I do not regret my actions. I wanted, and still do, to make Zeus and the others know what this life is like. They shun me and revile me for becoming what Zeus forced me to be. But," he looked her way again. "I would hardly be surprised if you hated me for it. I weakened them more. It was only because of Perseus, one of your demigod brothers, and Apollo's meddling that I was defeated."  
  
Oh, Kore was angry. Angry and yet, strangely detached from it all.  
  
Over and over in her head she heard the Fates whispering her true name; she knew what it meant. It was not a pretty or light name - she would not be known most as a goddess of flowers and spring and harvest and planting seeds. Her true name whispered of destruction and darkness, and perhaps months ago, perhaps years, that would have frightened her back into her mother's arms.  
  
But now she looked at Hades and knew; this was how she found her purpose. This was how she found her true name.  
  
"To tell you the truth," she finally spoke, with a quiet voice, "I don't."  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that I do believe was the longest chapter yet. Which is a good thing, because I don't know when I'll be updating again. I *hope* to update once each week. However, I'm dealing with major computer issues, and no money to get it fixed currently, so I can't make any promises. Many thanks to those of you reading and leaving kudos and comments, I appreciate it very much! :)
> 
> Special shoutout to Sandra for beta'ing and letting me ramble to her long and often about this story!


End file.
